


Tell Me

by ShaunHastings



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 19:16:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/752053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShaunHastings/pseuds/ShaunHastings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Desmond can't sleep and decides to confide something in Shaun. He ends up saying a little too much. No ships. Drabble. Request.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tell Me

“You’re up late.”

“I could say the same to you.”

Desmond smirked lightly and walked over, shoving aside some books off Shaun’s desk before pulling himself up to sit on it. He waited to see if Shaun would protest but Shaun simply looked over at him, sighed and went back to work.

“Can I help you, Desmond?”

That was one of the reasons Desmond preferred to walking up from nightmares and seeking Shaun’s company. He enjoyed Rebecca’s. She would joke around with him, they’d laugh and he’d feel better by the end of it. With Lucy, she would more or less baby him and sometimes even come over to sit with him and hold his hand and… well, that as personally his favorite.

But right now, he wanted what Shaun gave him. Which was nothing. Shaun acted like nothing was different. He knew why Desmond was awake, he would have heard the noises he made if he was up. He was rarely quiet when woken up from nightmares. But Shaun wouldn’t ask. He’d just wait and see if Desmond brought anything up on his own.

Sometimes he did.

Most of the times he didn’t.

But right now, he felt like talking about something that had nothing to do with his dream. Or well, no. In a way, it had everything to do with it. “Can I tell you something, Shaun?”

“If it’s some suppressed love confession, no, you can’t,” Shaun said without skipping a beat.

Taking that as a yes, Desmond continued, “I never wanted to be an assassin.”

“I figured as much. You know, the whole you running away from home and living in New York sort of hinted toward that.”

“But even now,” Desmond went on, ignoring his sass. “I know what I told Lucy and I know all the… bullshit I have to do. But if I didn’t have to do it, I wouldn’t.”

Realizing he was in for a serious talk, Shaun stopped going through the Glyph he had been looking through and turned to face him. “Then what would you be doing? If you weren’t here, saving the world and all that, what would you be doing? Working at some bar in New York going nowhere?”

Desmond felt a stab of irritation at that comment but he met his gaze and replied, “I don’t know. Being normal? I don’t want this. I’ve never wanted this. I was having fun in New York but, I don’t know. Maybe I could have met a girl… settled down. Had a family.”

“You can’t do that now?”

Desmond laughed bitterly at that, “You don’t understand, Shaun. You weren’t born an assassin. You don’t see the strain it puts on people. I don’t want to raise a family in… paranoia and fear. Thinking that every knock at the door will be Templars coming to take everything away from you. Watching your dad yell at your mom just for worrying, watching your mom jump at every noise thinking someone is going to hurt you, even your own father, watching your mom—”

“Desmond—”

Desmond stopped and looked over at Shaun, who suddenly looked a bit concerned. Feeling embarrassed, Desmond hopped off his desk. “Sorry. I think my nerves are getting the best of me.”

Shaun watched him carefully, studying him before he carefully spoke, “Do you… want to talk, mate? I’ve got time.”

“No, I— … No.”

Shaun, for once, didn’t accept that no as an answer. “When was the last time you talked to your mum, Desmond?”

“I’m going to bed.” And ignoring Shaun’s attempts to stop him, he went back to his sleeping bag to lay in silence the rest of the night.

He never went back to Shaun after a nightmare again.


End file.
